Stem cell plasticity in Hydra (A01)

• Subject Area: Evolutionary Cell and Developmental Biology (Zoology)
• Term: from 2010 to 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 122491522

Hydra’s immortality and unlimited regeneration capacity is based on the unique properties of its stem cell system. So far, we unraveled evolutionary conserved, stemcell based regeneration mechanisms on the level of signaling pathways. In the next funding period, we will focus on the role of germline stem cells. Somatic stem cells can give rise to germline stem cells throughout Hydra’s (unlimited) life span. To analyze this remarkable stem cell plasticity at the mechanistic level, we established cell-type-specific transcriptomes for somatic and germline stem cells. Candidate regulators will now be analyzed in gain- and loss-of-function studies using defined readouts.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 873: Maintenance and Differentiation of Stem Cells in Development und Disease
• Applicant Institution: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg
• Project Head: Professor Dr. Thomas W. Holstein